Lazy Daisy Hot Milk Cake

When I was a little girl I searched for recipes in various places (books & cookbooks from the library, magazines, grocery ads, newspapers) and scribbled them down or typed them up on my dad’s typewriter. I’d place them in a folder reserved for the day I ran my own household and created in my own kitchen. I also thought I’d own a B & B so I was building my menu.

A hot milk cake was one of the recipes carefully written in my 5th grade cursive. I didn’t note where I saw the old timey original, but I’ve adapted it to become a sweet lazy daisy cake. I couldn’t resist adding the brown sugar coconut topping. And I toss in chopped pecans, too. Leave them out if you’re not fond of them.

Nothing too healthy about this sugary cake, but I don’t eat cake for health. 🙂 It’s a throwback treat to go with coffee or tea in the afternoon (or perhaps a naughty breakfast?). And definitely serve it warm. No B & B yet, but my 11-year old self would still love it.

Lazy Daisy Hot Milk Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

For the topping:

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup flaked coconut (I use sweetened flaked)

1/4 cup heavy cream (half and half works, too)

1/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch square pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk and 2 Tbsp. butter to a boil. Remove from heat and cover. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can hand mix with a little more effort 🙂 ), beat the eggs on medium for about 5 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and blend until thoroughly incorporated. Slowly add the warm milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Batter won’t be as thick as other cakes-don’t worry. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. *Check cake at 25 minutes as oven temps vary and you don’t want to dry it out.* Spread topping (see below) over cake and return to oven. Broil for just 2-4 minutes until bubbly/lightly browned. Serve warm.

Topping:

In a small saucepan, mix the topping ingredients together and cook on medium low heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Spread topping over cake. Return to oven and broil for 2-4 minutes, just until bubbly & lightly browned.